Container support

ABSTRACT

A container support having a base formed of a single, substantially planar, piece of rigid material. Connected to opposing sides of the base are a pair of hinge elements which allow for pivotable attachment of a pair of opposing support arms to the base. Braces are pivotally attached to each of the arms at one end, the other end of the braces removably attached to the base to allow for fixing the arm in a relatively upright position. An annular retainer releasably attached in rotatable relation to posts extending inwardly from each of the support arms allows a container to be suspended therefrom in a substantially vertical position. Non-slip surface engagement material may be attached to the underside of the base.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention concerns container supports. Moreparticularly, the invention is directed to a support for supporting andorienting a bucket or other container filled with a liquid.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] Container supports for painters, roofers, and other workman arewell known in the art. These supports generally perform two functions.First, the support must hold the container, which often contains aliquid, in an upright position in order to avoid spilling of thecontents. Second, the support must firmly and securely position thecontainer so that it cannot be tipped over by unintended contact whichoccurs frequently in a workplace situation. Typically, these functionsare facilitated by attaching the support to a stationary object such asa ladder, floor, or wall. The problem with this approach is that thestationary object may be irregularly shaped, or have unusual surfacefeatures which render the support unusable. One situation that arisesoften is when a roofer or painter must support the container on a slopedsurface with no convenient stationary support available. Anotherpotential problem is that the stationary object may become damaged,e.g., by marring the surface, or by screws, nails or other rigidfasteners, if the support is attached.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,844 issued to Purdy discloses a bucketbracket which is attachable to a ladder. While presumably effective,this simplistic device cannot be used where there is no ladder or othergenerally vertically extending stationary object.

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,013 issued to Herrington et al. discloses acontainer support having a U-shaped bracket which is attachable to awall, floor, or ceiling by screws or other fasteners. Attached to thebracket is a rotatable element which allows for continuousre-orientation of the container. This device suffers from theaforementioned drawback in that use of the support requires the use ofpenetrating fastening members which can cause undesirable damage to thesupporting surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Briefly, the invention comprises a container support having abase formed of a single, substantially planar, piece of rigid material.Connected to opposing sides of the base are a pair of hinge elementswhich allow for pivotable attachment of a pair of opposing support armsto the base. Braces are pivotally attached to each of the arms at oneend, the other end of the braces removably attached to the base to allowfor fixing the arm in a relatively upright position. An annular retainerreleasably attached in rotatable relation to posts extending inwardlyfrom each of the support arms allows a container to be suspendedtherefrom in a substantially vertical position. Non-slip surfaceengagement material may be attached to the underside of the base.

[0008] It is a major object of this invention to provide an improvedcontainer support.

[0009] It is another object to provide an improved container supporthaving means to support an open vessel in an upright position.

[0010] It is another object to provide an improved container supportwhich is collapsible and portable.

[0011] It is another object to provide an improved container supportwhich can be employed on an inclined surface.

[0012] Finally, it is a general goal of the invention to provideimproved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for thepurposes described which is dependable and fully effective inaccomplishing its intended purposes.

[0013] These and other objects of the present invention will becomereadily apparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

[0014] The present invention meets or exceeds all the above objects andgoals. Upon further study of the specification and appended claims,further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Various other objects, features, and attendant advantages of thepresent invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomesbetter understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference characters designate the same orsimilar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

[0016]FIG. 1 shows a side perspective view of the inventive support.

[0017]FIG. 2 shows a side view of the support in the collapsed position.

[0018]FIG. 3 shows a front view of the support with a carrying handleand retainer ring attached.

[0019]FIG. 4 shows a front view of the support with a vessel supportedin an upright position.

[0020]FIG. 5 shows a plan view of the support in the collapsed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, the support of the present invention,generally indicated by the numeral 10, is shown. It can be seen that thesupport 10 has a base 12 comprised of a slab of rigid material,substantially rectangular and planar. Preferably, at least a portion ofthe underside of the base 12 is covered with a non-slip tractionenhancing material such as grooved rubber pads 14. Pivotally connectedto the base 12 are support arms 24 which can be pivoted to asubstantially vertical or upright position in order to stably support,e.g., an open vessel containing a liquid such as paint. A hinge 26securely attached to opposing sides of the base 12 may be used toconnect the support arms 24 thereto. Of course, any other mechanism maybe used as long as the support arms 24 have a range of motion of about180 degrees to allow for collapsing the support as will be discussed inmore detail later.

[0022] Portability of the support 10 is enhanced by the collapsingfeature which decreases the amount of space needed for storage.Additionally, a handle 28 is provided, the handle releasably attached tosupport arms 24 via a suitable attachment means such as a spring loadedclip 30 which may be looped through an opening in an eye bolt 32 firmlythreaded into each support arm. While the support arms 24 and base 12are preferably relatively flat and substantially rectangular to enhancestability and reduce the amount of storage space required when thesupport 10 is collapsed, the use of other shapes for the support arms 24and base 12 is considered within the scope of the invention.

[0023] An annular retainer 36 serves to engage and support a vessel 38in a relatively upright position. The retainer 36 is attached betweensupport arms 24 via inwardly protruding posts 40 which are securelyaffixed to the respective support arms 24. Posts 40 may be threadedlysecured within threaded bore 42 formed in the support arms 24. Annularretainer 36, which is flexible, includes apertures 46 to receive, injournaled relation, the opposite, non-threaded, ends of posts 40. Thus,retainer 36 is free to pivot as required to level the vessel 38 as willbe explained in more detail later. The vessel 38 may be used to containtools, liquids such as paints or adhesives, granular substances,fasteners, or anything which a roofer may need when working on a roof orother inclined surface. Any type or shape of vessel 38 may be employed,the only limitation being that the retainer 36 be designed for snugengagement with the top end of the vessel 38 to allow for self leveling.

[0024] Braces 50 are provided to allow for selectively supporting thesupport arms 24 in an upright position. Braces 50 include double endedhooks 52 which are removably connected between support arms 24 and base12. Hinge plates 54, 56 secured to the support arms 24 and base 12,respectively, provide a convenient attachment point for eye bolts 60 orother substantially annular female retainers within which the ends ofhooks 52 may be inserted.

[0025] In use, the support 10 may be set up by extending support arms 24to a substantially vertical position, and securing the support arms 24in position using braces 50. Retainer 36, which is preferably bothflexible and deformable, is placed between support arms 24 so that posts40 are positioned within apertures 46. Vessel 38 may then be insertedinto retainer 36 bottom first, until the top portion of the vessel 38 issecured within the retainer 36. It can be readily appreciated that itwould be desirable to have a plurality of different sized retainers 36,which may require posts 40 of slightly longer length, e.g., when theretainer is of a smaller diameter. Preferably, several retainers 36sized for snug engagement with a like number of different standard sizedvessels 38 are provided. The support 10 may be broken down for transportand compact storage by removing bracket hooks 52 from the support arm 24eye bolts and allowing the support arms to come to a rest against thebase 12. Handle 28 can be used to hang the support 10 from a hook whennot in use.

[0026] When the base 12 is placed on an inclined surface, vessel 38 willobtain a vertical position due to gravity, as the retainer 36 is free torotate until “self leveling” of the vessel 38 supported thereby isachieved.

[0027] From the foregoing description, one skilled in the art can easilyascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changesand modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages andconditions.

[0028] It is to be understood that the present invention is not limitedto the sole embodiment described above, but encompasses any and allembodiments within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:
 1. A container support comprising: a base, a pair of mutuallyopposed support arms pivotally connected to opposing sides of said base;a retainer releasably connected between said support arms; a pair ofbracket arms having opposing ends releasably connected betweenrespective ones of said support arms and said base; said retainerpivotally connected to said support arms and capable of lying in anon-parallel plane with respect to said base.
 2. The support of claim 1wherein said container support is adapted for supporting a substantiallycylindrical vessel.
 3. The support of claim 2 wherein said vessel is astandard sized bucket.
 4. The support of claim 3 wherein said retaineris adapted for engagement about said standard sized bucket.
 5. Thesupport of claim 1 wherein each of said support arms are selectivelyheld in a substantially vertical position by a brace.
 6. A containersupport comprising: a substantially flat base, a pair of mutuallyopposed support arms pivotally connected to opposing sides of said base;a retainer releasably connected between said support arms in journaledrelation, said retainer capable of supporting a vessel or container; apair of bracket arms having opposing ends releasably connected betweenrespective ones of said support arms and said base; whereby said vesselor container is maintained in a substantially vertical position whensaid base is on an inclined surface.
 7. The support of claim 6 whereinsaid container support is adapted for supporting a substantiallycylindrical vessel.
 8. The support of claim 7 wherein said vessel is astandard sized bucket.
 9. The support of claim 8 wherein said retaineris adapted for engagement about said standard sized bucket.
 10. Thesupport of claim 6 wherein each of said support arms are selectivelyheld in a substantially vertical position by a brace.